Tag Archives: Cuba

“U.S. embassy workers in Havana who were subject to mysterious, loud noises and vibrations in an invisible attack last year were found to have developed brain abnormalities, doctors have discovered. Tests by doctors searching for clues to explain what led to the victims’ hearing, memory, balance and vision damage reveal the workers developed changes to the white matter tracts in their brain that control communication, several U.S. officials said, according to an Associated Press report. These findings support a general agreement by government and university physicians who have been researching the attacks. … The discovery is one of several factors that leads investigators to believe some type of sonic weapon was involved in the attacks. It it also the first major physical finding related to damages incurred by the invisible attacks.” (12/06/17)

“In 2010, the government pushed an innumerable amount of decrees, laws and resolutions authorizing self-employed workers who weren’t private at all. It’s impossible to have private companies in a country where the state has a monopoly over all means of production. The truth is that in 2010, there wasn’t even enough money in Cuba to pay workers their salaries. For that reason, Cuban governors opted to minimize staff by firing thousands of people at a time, selling them on the idea that it’s better to be self-employed. However, after seven years, self-employment has become just another way to exploit the people, as the prices of products are often raised to more than 50 percent, while salaries and pensions remain the same.” (10/31/17)

“Senior neurologists have suggested that a spate of mysterious ailments among US diplomats in Cuba — which has caused a diplomat rift between the two countries — could have been caused by a form of ‘mass hysteria’ rather than sonic attacks. The unexplained incidents have prompted the US to withdraw most of its embassy staff from Havana and expel the majority of Cuban diplomats from Washington. … US and Cuban investigations have produced no evidence of any weapon, and the neurologists argue that the possibility of ‘functional disorder’ due to a problem in the functioning of nervous system — rather than a disease — should be considered.” [editor’s note: There’s also the obviously possibility that the whole thing was made up from whole cloth as cover/justification for policy changes toward Cuba that the Trump regime planned on doing anyway – TLK] (10/12/17)

“Cuban Americans seeking to have their relatives join them from the island will not be able to do so — at least for the time being — as a result of a significant withdrawal of staff from the U.S. Embassy in Havana announced on Friday. It is not known how long the suspension of the visa reunification program will last. The suspension is the result of the withdrawal of more than half of the American staff from its the embassy in Havana following mysterious sonic attacks that have caused several health problems to about 20 diplomats, officials in Washington announced Friday. Additionally, Washington will issue a new alert warning Americans not to travel to the island due to the attacks.” (09/29/17)

“During the Church Committee hearings in the 1970s, Congress and the American people learned that the CIA, in partnership with the Mafia, conspired to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Ever since then, the U.S. mainstream media has poked fun at the various ways the CIA and the Mafia intended to kill Castro — e.g., via an exploding cigar or an infected scuba suit. In the process, however, the media has failed to ask a deadly serious question: Why weren’t the CIA and the Mafia ever indicted for conspiring to assassinate Castro?” (09/15/17)

“Nineteen Americans are suffering from a range of symptoms, including mild traumatic brain injury and hearing loss, related to mysterious ‘sonic harassment’ attacks in Cuba — with a new incident reported just last month. Previously, U.S. officials said the incidents started in December 2016 and ended this past spring. But State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert revealed Friday that a new incident occurred in August and is now part of the ongoing investigation.” (09/01/17)

“According to medical records reviewed exclusively by CBS News, a U.S. doctor who evaluated American and Canadian diplomats working in Havana diagnosed them with conditions as serious as mild traumatic brain injury, and with likely damage to the central nervous system. The diplomats complained about symptoms ranging from hearing loss and nausea to headaches and balance disorders after the State Department said ‘incidents’ began affecting them beginning in late 2016. A source familiar with these incidents says officials are investigating whether the diplomats were targets of a type of sonic attack directed at their homes, which were provided by the Cuban government. The source says reports of more attacks affecting U.S. embassy workers on the island continue.” (08/23/17)

“The United States government has expelled two Cuban diplomats after a number of American embassy staff were forced to leave Havana because of mysterious medical symptoms that were first reported last year, the State Department said. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the Cuban diplomats were informed of the US government’s decision on May 23. The Associated Press (AP) reported on Wednesday that the American diplomats suffered severe hearing loss attributed to a covert sonic device. … After months of investigation, US officials concluded that the diplomats were exposed to an advanced device that operated outside the range of audible sound and was deployed either inside or outside their residences.” (08/10/17)

“This month Trump announced he was ‘canceling the last administration’s completely-one sided deal with Cuba.’ In reality Trump’s policy is more bluster and cosmetic changes than an actual reversal, but it might signal a bigger crackdown in the future. The Cuban embargo has entirely failed to oust the island’s baddies from power, and may have further entrenched them. In the latest Mostly Weekly, Andrew Heaton explores why sanctions against Cuba are a terrible idea for free people (or just people who enjoy eating cigars).” [Flash video] (06/30/17)

“American foreign policy has historically fluctuated between two competing approaches that transcend our left-right political spectrum. Political scientists label these schools of thought Idealism and Realism. Idealism holds that the purpose of U.S. foreign policy is to advance American values by fomenting freedom and democracy throughout the world. … In contrast, Realism holds that the purpose of U.S. foreign policy is to secure America’s national interest. … President Trump’s foreign policy breaks from Idealism and Realism into a new foreign policy doctrine the President has labeled ‘Principled Realism.’ Two recent overt military actions are illustrative of what the President means by principled realism.” (06/26/17)

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